Antelope hunters.....help me choose a caliber

[Hidalgo]

What are you guys using for an antelope rifle?

Don't ask me why I want to know........ /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[crapshoot]

Not hard to kill but sometimes shots are rather long. My vote is for the 25-06.

 

[va_ken]

7STW is my West gun - no matter what kind of tag I may draw. Shoot 154 Hornady Interlocks and nothing has ever walked away...

 

[Jim n Iowa]

I use a 7mm mag 139g - 165g depends on the wind. Its usually long range running shots. They are very curious animals and you may coax them in even by wavying a white cloth. Some desparate hunters will run them up to a fence, then take there shot, as Antelope do not jump fences, at least not very sucessfuly. A 243 will work ok at the low end. If you are glassing them with 7x they can see you as good or better, and they rely on there speed as there defence. Hope this helps.
Jim

 

[bigwheeler]

7 rem mag or 7stw, 140's to 162's. 400 to 500 yard shots are not uncommon
and you need a little more gun at those ranges to stop them. A blown off
front leg will slow them down to about 40mph. They aren't a tough animal
but they have a huge heart and lungs and can go and go. Don't think you can
legally flag them in Mt. And they do always go under a fence.

 

[race4hills]

25-06 and 270 have work well for me. The flater and more open the land is, the long the shot will be. They are very fun to hunt!

 

[BOBTAILS]

22-250. makes em' DIRT!

 

[sumrifle]

Pick one
.257 Roberts
25-06
.270
6mm Rem
7mm WSM
.264

 

[SamuraiTrapper]

I just bought a 243 as a coyote/ antelope gun. Practice how you play.

 

[Ursus21]

25.06 unless you are really serious, then the .257 Weatherby would be the ticket.

 

[greg223]

I use a .243, 85gr Nosler Partions. Suits me just fine.

 

[JCL]

257 Ackly, 270 Win, 280 Rem all have worked great for me. They are not hard to kill but can be hard to hit they are quite a bit smaller than a mule deer.

 

[Hidalgo]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

I have a .270 and a .25/06 already but they're a little too "stiff" for my son to shoot comfortably, and the '06 is a heavy target rifle so it's of no use for hunting. I'm leaning towards the .243 or a .257 Roberts. I reload, so the Roberts won't be a problem. I'm torn between the two, so I need to do a little research before I make the decision. Both are available in a lightweight Ruger and that's a factor also for him. He's slightly built and weight & recoil are major concerns.

 

[varmint_sniper24]

243 w/ remington cor loks 100gr soft points do a real nice job out to 450yds

 

[utahpredator_7]

25 WSSM w/100 grains barnes tsx shouldn't be too much recoil. How old is your son? I'm 16 and only 5'4" 120 pounds and shooting my 25 WSSM a-bolt hunter doesn't bother me at all. .243 would be slick too, but even a 22-250 with a 52 gr. TSX would do real well.

 

[archer_204]

25-06 and/or .257 Weatherby if you really want to get serious.

 

[Utahdogger]

30-06 with a good 150 grain bullet, I've killed several with it!

 

[Verminator2]

I would use a .243 AI with 85 TSXs, but a .243 or a 25-06 would work well too.

 

[87predatorcontrol]

.257 weatherby mag gets my vote

 

[GC]

I used a .270 with 130 gr. Sierra SBT's at 3,050 something fps on the three I've killed. Worked perfectly, I didn't have the need to shoot over 250 yards on any of my antelope. Since you already have a .243 I'd load the Sierra 85 gr. BTHP to 3,100 fps and keep the range within his comfort and accuracy level. But that combo would do quite well to at least 350 yards, and that is a long way out there if you aren't use to shooting and judging the wind at those distances.